THE POETRY OF SCIENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2682, 11 December 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE POETRY OF SCIENCE.

AVITH SOME OF ITS STERN PROSE,

(By Professor A. W. Bickerton.) No fairy tale of the past, no exuberant Oriental romance, is comparable with the wonder ancl the beauty of modern science. On the one hand, the vast globe on which we live is shown to be but a .speck of cosmic dust in an immeasurable universe that consists of millions of blazing suns, each .perchance the cen. tre of 'a system of worlds upon which his rays are bestowing life and beauty, as our sun is bestowing life upon the planet that is our dwelling-place. On the other hand, a pinch ol infusorial earth discloses worlds of 'exquisite beauty; shows us myriads of lace-like .specks of silica called diatoms. Each diatom. is built of countless complex molecules, that themselves are made up of tiny atoms, the details of whose amazing structure is even now being unfolded to us by our own Rutherford and his able group of industrious coworkers. Those lace-like specks of flint were once the abode of organic life - they were inhabited by 'minute masses of protoplasmic jelly in bags, each an organic cell. All living beings, whether animal or vegetable, whether low or high on the organic scale, are made up of these bags of jelly, which we have .spoken of as 'cells. The vegetable cell protected itself Avith a layer of cellulose; became exclusive and isolated, and so remained a \-egetable, the grower of food for the animal cells, which coalesced and loved and pulsated with the joy of communion. Groups of such cells built the brain of a Shakespeare or a Kepler, and built the very men themselves. Men are but vast communities of living, pulsating cells, many of them seeming to have consciousness and able to organise themselves into armies, and gatner to -the fray to devour tlie inA’ading cells of disease that may threaten the well-being of their host, the man in which they live and 'of AA r hich‘ they arc integral parts. AH the molecules of which these animated cells are built are, themselves organised companies of atoms, which together naMce up the vast army of atoms of AAdiich the cell itself is built. All mat- . ter, whether dead flint/ exclusive vegetable, or impulsive animal, is made up of countless of these minute particles avo have called atoms. Wonderful beings they are. One thinks of. a door-nail as a very dead thing, yet its atoms are so full of motion and of such complex structure. that one could imagine the very atoms themselves to .be alive. 1 Although 8-11 the atoms of tliG samß elementary substance are alike, there _ are scores of different kinds of elements, and. the atoms of every different element are generally quite dissimilar one from another. Most atoms cling to atoms. They are much like men; ■ they love and marry, quarrel and tight, | are** full of schemes and subterfuges. • They form groups, sometimes of a vast number. Each of these atomic groups we call a molecule. The five new elements found by Sir W. Ramsay in the air never group; they are always unwedded, isolated atoms, with no affinities at all, aloof, superior elements with no frailties and no more_ tendency to . sin than a plaster cast. In these calm , elements the single atom is a molecule. I Other atoms differ in their tendency to , din- , and differ much in the strength i with which they cling to fellow atoms. Generally the more unlike they are, the stronger they hold one another I atoms seem to have bands, in number in different elements. S > j such as hydrogen, have Oll| y °“ e J an " ’ • some,, as ehlorme, have a, f many as Sven They differ, too, m weight; the atoms of some elements j than one hundred times as much as , tisse of other elements. Some of the , elementary atoms are Ue .merest , dwarfs • others absolute giants, Goliatfts ip war, heavy forwards in the game of 11 Atoms not only cling to other kinds of atoms, but atoms that are alike cling to one another, although the h . i 3 weak. Atoms somewhat alike also loosely hold one “other But eppemte 1-inds very negative, and very pos tive' 6 atS.hofdo„e .“other^wrth^ o-rasp ten times the stren 0 , These unions are no mere penal eontracts, but unions of passionate affin.ty of almost inseparable chastity. THE ATOMS IN A POSTAGE STAMP Let us take any small piece of matter, say a postage stamp, and exaxm i it. Imagine it magnified until it co vers a great city. Then were we to look at it with a powerful microscope, Ave should see the surging, atoms of which' it is built. We should ;see about twice as many hydrogen as carbon atoms, each hydrogen " having only one- hand with which .it holds somewhat loosely one of the "V s " .engaged hands of the carbon. These molecular strings are all much alike. There is some variety an the strings that make up the paper and, make oap the color of the picture, but the strings that make up the gum are all exactly alike. Every string has hydrogen atoms at each end, but at one end an oxygen atom having two hands is separating the end hydrogen from the .strips? of carbon atoms. , , Tf/U only hand of the end hydro atom is very firmly held by one of the two hands of oxygen. The hydrogen atoms are only on friendly terms with carbon and hold it lightly, but they in love with oxygen and the uifcon is an almost inseparable one. Rut iCJ&bon love s oxygen also, only not so Avell as hydrogen does, so the oxygen atom stands Avith one hand tightly locked in that of. its loved mate hydrogen, while , the ether hand grasps with much firmness its other mate, the ca r bon atom. The two-handed oxygen is a general favorite, and is loved by nearly all the chemical elements and of these love matches, these s trcmg :• unions which we call chemical affinity depends the warmth of our fires, the light of our lamps, the power of our •engines, and our very .life itseVf. , It is very important to differentiate ketoeen IS slight hold that links together the atoms in organic molecules S the tremendous length of the r 0" : of fuel, of and of and let the flame drive a . J .steam engine; ,quie (

: burnt away, all save a delicate white ash. AVhilst it is blazing the bead-like ! \ molecular strings of the organic mate- i . rial of which the stamp is built arejpull■ed to pieces by the oxygen in the air. I l Air is a very real thing; we cannot see it, but in a tornado it may knock j us down or blow ns over a house, or ; even blow the house itself away. The air contains our two-armed' atom oxy- ; gen, and there are four times as many I particles of a bachelor-like element call- | ed nitrogen. Nitrogen is not so exclus. j ive, not so confirmed a bachelor as the j rare constituents of the air that Sir ! AVilliam Ramsay found in it a few ! years ago, and that. I have- named ; |‘Cosmic Pioneers.” Though nitrogen ' is never passionately in love, it is not ; an altogether unfriendly atom, and has many .most dainty affinities, never very strong hut very wonderful; and- a separate fairy tale could be devoted to this complex atom that is an essential constituent of the molecules upon which the Jif e both of plant and animal depends. But nitrogen does not play any great part in our present st-ory. If nitrogen were not in the air we could not use aii iron poker, for when it was hot it would burn away, throwing off sparks like a brilliant gerbe. It does not so burn away because four atoms of .passive nitrogen stand sentinel over each impulsive oxygen atom. But in a fierce fire the oxygen brushes away his - four guardians and rushes to his fate. The energy of his embrace is so great as to produce a fiery glow, often is so white hot that the iron pillars of fire-proof buildings burn like brilliant fire-works. As our postage stamp burns, each oxygen atom snatches away a pair of hydrogen atoms, and, holding one in each hand, escapes the scene; each set of three dances merrily in the sunlight, and we say that molecules' of water have oeen formed and have become steam. Hold a bit of cold, bright steel ever the burn, ing paper and instantly the slow . motion of the steel particles chilis the myriads of dancing water molecules, and they huddle together and lie shivering on the cold steel, forming dew which dulls the polished metal. But there are not enough pairs of hydrogen for all the oxygen, and so countless myriads of oxygen atoms have to content themselves with lirfking up with carbon. But carbon has four hands and oxygen only two, so : pairs of these late comers have to share a carbon mate between them, instead of each having two hydrogen mates. These new molecules we call carbonic acid. The new group does not condense on the cold steel, but continues to dance in the sunlight, until, perchance, it reaches the garden. -Then it may eni ter into the pores of a- leaf, 1 and there the strong power of the sunlight deprives the oxygen of its carbon ; mate and each disconsolate oxygen atom seizes a fellow-oxygen atom by both hands and mixes again with its fellows in the atmosphere. The carbon atom, having lost its loved oxygen, I links itself again in the bonds of friend. ! ship with other carbon atoms and with the hydrogen atoms that the sun has also torn from their oxygen mates. The carbon joins up not only with hydrogen from water but with nitrogen and other constituents. These compound molecules perchance may give color to the rose, perfume to the violet, taste to the muscat grape, may become the i medicinal quinine, or, on the other j hand, the venom of henbane or the bad odour of assafoedita. Surely a won- | derful laboratory is the green leaf I when the skilful artisans, the solar rays, are doing their, marvellous work. There is great contrast between organic and other molecules. All the I atoms in organic molecules form com- ! plex compounds, held only by bonds of 1 friendship easily torn to pieces by the j strong affinities of negative elements ! like oxygen and chlorine. And when ! their marriages take place and simple I coirftxrands like water and carbonic | acid are formed, much heat is produced. So we say the organic friendship groups hold energy, which becomes heat when they form the permanent love unions. In past ages these wonder-working leaves, elaborated resinous speres, and these were bur- ! ied under deep layers of earthy strata, were subject to heat and pressure, and became bituminous coal. Now this coal drives our engines, as the burning postage stamp-drove our little steam motor. Thus the energy of the solar ravs' lie latent as potential energy in coal; in petroleum, and exists in wood and paper, and. in .most organic molecules. This potential energy becomes active energy as heat or molecular motion and this energy of motion weaves our clothes, lights our homes and does our heavy work. Or suppose we eat the luscious muscat grape; the burning of the carbon of the grape may give us the energy to think great thoughts and do noble deeds. And if we cannot afford the grape, oatmeal will do, the deed just as- well, as many a canny and poetic Scotchman has demonstrated And the power to do such deeds is thus traceable to solar rays. Whence comes, then, the energy of sunlight? That is part of the tale we have to tell. It belongs to a wonderful generalisation called the persistence of energy. Whilst the idea we have been debating that ali matter is made up of little active particles, we call the atomic theorv, the theory we now propose u> unfold is called Constructive Impact. The term means that the collision of celestial bodies and systems are not merely, destructive, they are also great 1 building agencies that give rejuvenescence to ageing worlds, decaying systems and dead suns. One leading idea is that collisions do not necessan y mean the aggregation of all mattei into one vast orb r hut that impacts are often partial, an explosively: hot, wonderful third body. Just as flint and steel strike, off a, sParhv so t\ o grazing suns strike off a. brilliant fragment that may be of gigantic dimensions and of such an inconceivably high temperature as.to.be unstabl , and to largely dissipate into space as isolated atoms. v the landmarks of human . ' PROGRESS. ; . ' Gteat generalisations such ,as those mentioned, the Copernican system and;, the theory ,of organic evolution,' are the permanent landmarks of human progress. They are the ground work of accurate thought. Gravitation, Kepler’s laws, the atomic theory, the doctrine of the; conservation, of matter and of energy,, all . the great generah-sations-—all save one is pointing to ■ perfection of 'the cosmic scheme.,

Lord Kelvin’s second law of thermodynamics, with ite associated theory of the dissipation of energy, is the exception. This theory is generally classified as one‘of the very great generalisations of science. It is the reverse of all the others ill that it gives us the doctrine -of Eternal Death, and suggests a basic flaw in -the cosmic scheme, a flaw so deep-seated that it, again, suggests the oossibility of endless other flaws; so that men have grown to look upon pain and misery not in their true light as indications of error, but as inherent flaws of an imperfect creation. Lord Kelvin’s tremendous genius, backed up\ by his unanswered logic, has carried all before it. The opposing explanations of philosophers off the calibre of Kant, Spencer and Hecknell were seen to be unsound, as were also the similar attempts of scientists like Clausius and Rankin. The walls of this dismal dungeon of thoughts stood so unshaken that a thinker of the calibre of Professor Fitzgerald told me that, after six weeks’ study, although he could find no flaw in the theory of cosmic rebirth, yet the theory of dissipation was “in the very marrow of his bones,” and it was difficult to cast it off. Thus the dismal doctrine stood. There are few great physicists have believed it. And this belief spread until it permeated all thought, and pessimism became the prevailing sentiment. Men asked seriously : Is life worth living ? A thinker of the logicaF acumen of Huxley speaks of life as the problem of the Sphynx, and suggests the advent of a friendly comet to sweep the whole affair away. The theory of constructive impact, however, shows that the doctrine is not impregnable. It shows that many, phenomena have been overlooked in arriving at the theory of dissipation 'of energy. The paper confuting the accepted generalisation stands unanswered in the pages of the “Philosophical Magazine,” the journal edited by Lord Kelvin himself, and he has since told professor Rutherford that he no longer held the theory in its cosmic application. -. , The fact is demonstrated up to the hilt that there is the possibility of an Immortal Cosmos. There”is no basic flaw in the cosmic mechanism. There is a mode of re-birth even for a decaying universe, and rejuvenescence is as much a cosmic as a terrestrial fact. The scientific basis of philosophic pessimism is swept away, and when this is known men will buckle to the task of discovering the functions of pain and misery, and will certainly solve the problems, will take steps tor the removal of their causes, and mankind will march hopefully forward towards its birthright, a life of joyous activity. And this nut that contains so sweet a kernel, a life of joy. are its casings very difficult to remove? Not at all; they are numerous, but each is beautiful and has its own wonderful uses. The function of a few of them we shall debate in some detail, others can only be glanced at. It is the basic idea of the “third) body,” with its wealth of suggestion, we must "attack first.